Mold and process for forming articles from pulp or other plastic material



July 31, 192 3.

' S. COOPER MOLD AND PROCESS FOR FORMING ARTICLES FROM PULP OR OTHERPLASTIC MATERIAL Original Filed Aug. 22, 1917 QM/WWW 4-3 2 E oertainportions of the the reason July In, teas htthttt airs stares PATENT err,

SIMON fiOOPEE, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

ASSIGNOR T0 VACUUM PULP PRODUCTS COBEORATION, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATION OF VIRGIN IA.

. s I MOLD AND PROCESS FOR, FORMING: ARTICLES FROM PULP OR OTHER PLASTIGMATERIAL.

' a lication filed August 22, 1912, serial no. w en.

- specification.

My present invention relates particularly to t e manufacture of hollowcontainers suchas milk bottles and the like and aims primarily to enablethe production of such articles in the requisite strength and durabilityfrom material of a pulp-like character. I

' A further and more specific object is to strengthen the bottomportions of such eontainers so that they will be fully capable oiwithstanding the handling which such articles are ordinaril subjectedto.

in the accomp-ishment of these objects ll first preferably form a pulpwall or de osit by forcing the pulp material into a hfilow porous moldof the desired shape while said mold is supported in one position andthen reduce a re-deposit or strengthening oi pulp wall by turning moldinto-a diderent position and furthor forcing material into the mold inthis new position, either by actually forcing ad ditional material intothe mold or byv apply ing additional ressure to that already within themold. sually the mold is first supported in'an "inverted position andthen turned right side up forthe purpose of reinforming that part of thedeposit which is to form the bottom of the completed article.

l have illustmted more orless diagram.- matically in the accompanyingdrawing one them of a paratus for carrying out the invention, w erein Fiure 1 is a front view oil such apparatus, s owing in dotted lines thefirst and final conditions of the suction chemher'with the mold ininverted position, and Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of theSHGlTIOE" chamber as 111 the second or intermediate step with the moldin upright 1 v 7 like that shown in dotted lines in F gure 1,

le the-interior of the mold is in com- Renewed December 29, was.

munication with a supply of pulp. Accordingly the mold is inclosedwithln a suction chamber 3, connected by a pipe line 4 with a suctioncreatin pum 5. A so-called vacuum tank 1s usual y interposed in thesuction linev to eliminate pulsations of the pump and provide for aneven draw on the vacuum or suction chamber 3, and a separator 6 may alsobe placed in this line to, prevent pulp passing back to the tank or tothe amp. T a mold illustrated is for forming containers of the widemouthed milk bottle variety and is shown made u of a correspondinglyshaped 'gauze wal 7, and supported by ribbing 8, and a bottom 9, the towhole being formedsuitably in sections to enable the removal of thecompleted article from within the mold. A hollow column or tube 10,serves as the support for the mold within the suction chamber and alsoas a. part of the means for'supplying' the. pulp thereto,'the mold beingfor the urpose detachably secured with its mou over the open end of saidsupply tube. The balance of the pulp supply conduit is made up in theillustration of a flexible tube 11 adapted to dip into the pulpreservoir 12.

A flexihle'connection 13 is also shown in.- terposed in the suctionconduit 4, these two flexible connections enabling reversal of thesuction chamber without breaking the connections thereto.

A main control valve 14% and a more finely regulatable valve 15by-passed around said main control valve, are shown provided in thesuction line and a cut-ofi' valve to ma also be located in said line.Drain valves 1% may be provided at one or both ends of the suctionchamber and a relief valve 18 is Y the pulp being admitted into the moleitheii- I k I gradua y, as by the control of valve 15," which may be afinely adjustable needle valve, or more suddenly, through the control ofmain-control valve 14, the drain valves .lldtl,

container walls,

. posited pulp,

' thatsuch articles may may then-be removed from 17 and relief valve 18being closed during such time. As the pulp rises in the mold a facing deosit is produced on the inner porous wa ls of the mold. Approximatelyatthe time that the mold becomes filled and the facing deposit iscompleted covering the entire interior of the mold, the suction chamheris reversed, end for end, and the mold thereby turned right side up,preferably without interrupting the suction. sec ondary deposit isthereby added to the first, without lamination, this second depositbeing heaviest at-the bottom portion of the due to the static head ofthe liquid column in the mold. By regulating the degree of suction andcontrolling the reversing movement of the mold difierent eiiects may beobtained and the walls may- .be made heavier in certain parts than inothers, or walls of uniform strength may be produced. The results may befurther varied by closing off the suction, before, durin or after thereversing movement.

fitter a sufficient secondary deposit is obtained the mold is freed ofsurplus pulp,

usually by turning it back into the inverted first position and breakingthe suction by opening relief 18.- This gradually establishes anequilibrium of pressure on the top and bottom of the. pulp column, asthe incoming air slowly passes through the de-' allowing the excess todrain slowly back into the reservoir. The admission of this relief airthrough funnel 20 directly beneath the bottom forming wall of the pulpdeposit also provides an air cushion temporarily supporting this, the

then uppermost part of the pulp deposit preventing the same fromcollapsing as the support afiorded by the pulp column is withdrawn.Then, after draining the suction chamber by way of valve 17, closingrelief valve 18 and disconnecting pulp supply pipe 11 from the pulpreservoir, suction is again applied to remove free moisture'and tofurther compact and felt the deposited pulp. The molded product themoldv for further treatment or simply be kept in the mold for subsequenttreatment. The suction chamber is preferably constituted so that it mabe readily opened for the removal of t e mold, as by making it in theform of a bell, as'indicated,-with jaw ortions 21, clampingly engagedwith. the ase part 22 by a slight rotary movement, after having beenpassed through notches .23 in the edge of such base.

lit will be apparent from the foregoing thatthe invention is suited tothe production of articles of any desired shape and e given therequisite j strength to meet their particular uses.

I claim:

1. The process of forming articles itrpm suction. to the exterior of ahollow with a body 'pulp material which comprises applyin e. I teaserspulp material which comprises forcing the material into the mouth of ahollow openended, orous mold while the mold is in an inverte positionand then further forcing material into the mold with the mold positionedright side up;

2. The'process of ,iiorming articles from pulp material which comprisesforcing the material into a hollow porous mold while said mold isdisposed in one set osition and then further forcing material into themold while the same is disposed in a re-. verse set position.

3. The process of forming articles from pulp material which comprisesfilling a hollow porous mold with the material while said mold isdisposed in one set position and then turning the moldto reverse thesame to another set position and further forcing material into the mold.

4:- The process of forming articles from pulp material which comprisesapplying mold whose interior is in communlcation of pulp material whilethe mold is in one set positionthen reversing the set position of saidmold and again applying suction to the exterior of the same, to furtherforce material into the mold.

5. The process of forming articles from pulp material which comprisesapplying suction to the exterior'of a hollow open= ended porous moldwhose open end is in communication terial while said mold iis disposedin an inverted position and reversing the position of said mold andapplying suction to the exterior of the same while in said reversedposition.

.6. The process of forming articles from pulp material which comprisesapplying suction to the exterior of a hollow openended porous mold whoseopen end is in communication with a body of pulp material while saidmold is disposed in an inverted position, relieving the suction thereon,reversing the 1position of said mold, and again applying t e suctionwhile the mold is in such reversed position.

7. The process of forming articles from suetion to the exterior-of anopen-ende hollow orous mold whose open end is in communication with abody of the material while said mold is supported in an invertedposiiii) with a body of Pulp i 0 porous tion, and thereby producing adeposit on while the interior is in communication with material,return'ingsa1djmold to the first inverted position) and then releasingthe suction and freeing. the mold of mate ial idea cess of the depositmade onthe w'al s thereof. 8. The process of forming articles from pulpmaterial which comprises applying suction to the exterior of anopen-ended hollow porous mold whose open end is in communication with abody of the material, while said mold is supported in an invertedposition and thereby roducing a de osit on the inner porous wa s of themol reversing the position of said mold, end for end, an applyingsuction to the exterior thereof, returning said mold to the firstinverted position and then releasing the suction and freeing the mold ofmaterial in excess of the deposit made on the walls thereof.

9. The process of forming articles from pulp material which comprisesapplying sue tion to the exterior of an open-ended hollow porous moldwhose open end is in communication with a body of the material whilesaid mold is supported in an inverted position, and thereby producing adeposit on the inner porous walls of the mold, reversing the position ofsaid mold end for end, returning said mold to the first invertedposition and then releasing the suction and freeing the mold of material-inexcess of the deposit made on the walls thereof.

10. The process of forming articles from pulp material which comprisesapplying suction to the exterior of an open-ended hollow porous moldWhose open end is in communication with a body of the material whilesaid mold is supported in an inverted posi-' tion, and thereb producinga deposit on the inner porous Wa ls of the mold, reversing the positionof said mold end for end, and a plying suction'to the exterior thereofwhi e the interior is in communication with material, returning saidmold to the first inverted position and then releasing the suction andfreeing the mold of material 1n excess of the deposit made on the wallsthereof and then again applying suction after the mold has beendisconnected from the supply of material.

- 11. In the forming of pulp articles, suction means, a movable suctionchamber flexibly connected therewith, a pulp, reservoir, a porous moldin the suction chamber flexibly connected with the, pulp reservoir, anda pulp separator interposed between the suction chamber and the suctionmeans.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SIMON oooPaR;

